When Make Believe Becomes Reality
by lacymarie78
Summary: Alex and Piper meet on a TV show and fall in love. AU. Other characters will be in this story.
1. Alex Reflects

When Make Believe Becomes Reality

Chapter 1

Alex Vause stood with the members of the cast and crew of Litchfield Place as they toasted the end of their series. As she stood looking at the creator, Joe Caputo and producer Natalie Figueroa, holding up her champagne glass, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at her costar Piper Chapman.

"Wow she looks beautiful", Alex thinks as she looks at the radiant Piper. As Piper held up her champagne glass, Alex looks at Piper's hand at the shining wedding ring. She looks down at her own hand at the matching ring and thinks about how happy she's been for the past 8 years.

As Caputo and Fig continue to make their joint speech, Alex tunes them out as she thinks about the past 8 years since she met the famous Piper Chapman who turned everything upside down the minute she walked into the audition room 8 years ago.


	2. Author's Note

When Make Believe Becomes Reality

2\. Author's Note

I decided to make this a flashback story. All of our favorite characters will be in here. I know that none of you care for Larry or Slyvie, but they're vital to the story. Like I said and you saw in the first chapter, Vauseman will prevail. I hope you enjoy the story


	3. The Problems With Sylvie

When Make Believe Becomes Reality

3\. The Problems with Sylvie

Alex glares at Sylvie as they stand across from each other as if in a standoff. Alex had come home an hour ago to find her wife of 6 months in bed with another woman. Not just any woman, Alex's first love Victoria. Alex and Victoria were together in secret for a year before breaking up because while Alex was out and proud, Victoria wasn't and was afraid to come out because of her career. They remained friends but Alex still had some unresolved feelings toward Victoria. When Alex met Sylvie on the set of their new show, they hit it off immediately and Alex told Sylvie of her history with Victoria. Something she now regretted. She also regretted introducing them at a party thrown by her best friend Nicky.

As Alex continues to glare at Sylvie, she starts to think about how much Sylvie has changed since they first met. She had become controlling and demanding, both at home and on the set. Alex was tired of it and she knew the people on the show were too. It was almost like Sylvie thought she was entitled to everything because she was with Alex. When they joined the show, Alex was more famous than Sylvie having starred in movies and tv shows since her senior year of high school. Sylvie had done some modeling first, before starring in a hit movie. It took a lot of convincing on Sylvie's part to convince Alex to go out with her. They dated for a year before Sylvie convinced Alex to marry her. Alex was a little hesitant on her part because it was her first serious relationship since Victoria. Since they married, Sylvie had become a controlling bitch, something that Alex cannot stand in a woman. Then finding Sylvie in bed with Victoria was fast becoming the final straw.

" Well are you just going to glare at me, or are you going to say something?", spat Sylvie who had grown tired of Alex's silence. Something in Alex snapped. "You really want to hear what I have to say?!", Alex spits out. "How about that I'm ending this marriage tomorrow, that's what!" Sylvie steps back in shock. "What do you mean you're ending the marriage? I made a mistake and I'm sorry. We can work through this!" Alex just looks disbelievingly at Sylvie! " Are you serious?! I just found you in bed with another woman. Victoria of all people. That is totally unforgiveable Sylvie! Besides you just broke the number one rule of marriage. Fidelity ring a bell?!"

Sylvie tries to look devastated, but Alex sees right through her. "I know you did it on purpose, just to hurt me. The question is why.", Alex is not furious anymore, just sad. "Because I'm not first in your heart, she is. I did it to show you how easily she cast you aside!" Alex looks at Sylvie in shock. She had known the woman was devious, but not as cruel as she is now showing. " It sure was easy to, a few drinks and my charm and she just melted. It didn't even matter to her that I was married to you. She wanted me." Sylvie actually had the nerve to smile which infuriated Alex. Sylvie suddenly felt a stinging slap across her left check which made her stumble and land on her butt.

"That is the last straw Sylvie! Pack your shit and get the fuck out of here! We're through you lying cheating bitch!" Sylvie climbed to her feet and actually looked devastated. "You don't mean that Alex. I love you and I'm so sorry! Don't throw our marriage away on a mistake!" Alex looked at her and actually almost felt sorry for her. " I'm not the one throwing it away. You are. Now pack and leave. NOW!" Sylvie didn't move from her spot. "What about the show? We'll still have to work together or have you forgotten that!" Alex hadn't thought about that, but she figured they would work something out. They were about to finish season 2 of Litchfield Place and their contracts were coming up for review and were in the process of being renewed. "We'll burn that bridge when we get there. Now leave." Alex left their bedroom and went into the living room. She pulled out her phone and called her agent Fahri.

Fahri and his boss Kubra had been her agents since the beginning and had been very good to her. Fahri had actually tried to talk her out of marrying Sylvie. Now Alex was dreading Fahri saying I told you so. She heard Fahri pick up and she got down to business. "Fahri it's Alex. I need a favor." "Anything for my best client. What do you need?" Alex actually smiled at Fahri's calm demeanor and reassuring voice. "Can you have annulment papers drawn up for me tomorrow? I need to end my marriage as soon as possible." "Oh no, what happened Al?," Fahri asked even though he pretty much already knew the answer. Alex explained everything that happened and waited for the I told you so's to begin.

"I know that you're waiting for me to tell you I told you so, but I'm not going to do that. All I can say is I'm sorry this happened to you. I'll have them for you first thing in the morning. By the way, Joe Caputo should be calling you tonight or tomorrow. Something about a meeting with them." "A meeting on a Saturday? What could be so important that it couldn't wait until Monday?" Alex couldn't help but be curious. " He didn't say, and he also said not to tell Sylvie, that they have a separate meeting with scheduled with her." Alex went to reply when she saw Sylvie walk from their bedroom to the living room and out their front door without so much as a goodbye. " You don't have to worry about that. She just left", replied Alex. "Ok Alex I'll bring those papers by tomorrow" Fahri said. " Thanks Fahri. Give Kubra my best." They said goodbye and hung up. Alex then went to take a shower and go to bed. All the while, she couldn't stop wondering what the meeting was about.

End of chapter.

I know you are all wondering to. The next chapter will be about that, plus Piper appears in the next chapter. Hope you all liked it. Please review.


	4. The Meeting

When Make Believe Becomes Reality

4\. The First Meeting

It's 9am the next morning and Alex is cranky and tired. After hanging up with Fahri, she took a shower and tried to sleep. Then the calls from Sylvie started coming in. After the 10th call and Alex cursing her out, Sylvie then resorted to texting. Alex tried to convince Sylvie that she needed space to figure things out, but Sylvie doesn't seem to get the message and it's making Alex increasingly frustrated and pissed off.

As Alex stands in her kitchen waiting for the much needed coffee to brew, her phone begins to ring again. 'Thanks for Nothing, Kiss my Ass', Sylvie's new ringtone, blares out and Alex is ready to scream.

She ignores it and the phone goes to voicemail. Alex yawns and then rubs her eyes. She's seriously considering going back to bed, when her phone starts ringing again. Beyond frustrated, she answers without looking at the caller id. "WHAT?!" Alex shouts into the phone. "Well good morning to you too Alex," Joe Caputo's voice replies. "Bad night?" he asks jokingly. "You could say that," Alex replies not wanting to get into it. "Is there anything I can do?" Caputo asked. "Look I'm not ready to talk about it right now if that's ok with you. So is there a reason you called Mr. Caputo?"

"Yes sorry Alex. Fig and I need you to come to my office for a meeting," Caputo says referring to the series producer. "Is there something wrong,?" Alex asked slightly worried. "No not really, just some new developments in the show that we'd like to discuss with you. Can you come this morning at 10? Joe asked. "Sure I'll be there, Alex replied. "Also please come alone. There is a separate meeting scheduled with Sylvia." At this Alex felt relieved. She wasn't ready to face Sylvie yet. "No problem Mr. Caputo. I'll see you at 10." "Ok thanks Alex, see you then."

Alex hung up and poured herself a cup of black coffee. Just as she was about to take a sip, her phone rang again. She smiled at the fact that it was Nicky Nichols her best friend and one of the writers and directors on the show. She pressed the talk button. "Hey Nicky what's up?" "Hey to you too Vause, what's going on?" "Nothing much, just got off the phone with Caputo. I have to go to his office for a meeting this morning. "Do you know what's going on?"Alex asked her best friend figuring that she would know what's going on. "I got a similar call from Fig. I don't know the details, but the word through the grapevine is we're getting a new cast member." Alex was surprised. "Really, new blood huh. Male or female?"

"Like I said Vause I don't know the details. I just have to attend the same meeting. Do you want to ride with me or are you old ball and chain going separately? Nicky asked. Nicky couldn't stand Sylvie and the feeling was mutual. Nicky thought Sylvie was wrong for Alex and Sylvie was jealous of Alex and Nicky's friendship. "Actually Caputo told me to come alone. They have a separate meeting with Sylvie. Plus I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, I caught Sylvie with Victoria last night and threw her out." "Holy shit I knew it! I mean sorry Vause, but I knew something was going on with them. I could tell when we introduced them." " Wow thank you Nicky that really makes me feel better, Alex replies. " Awww come on Vause, I'm here for you. You know that." Alex had to smile. "I know Nicky. Look I'll treat you to lunch after the meeting and we'll talk." "Ok cool Vause. Do you want me to pick you up for the meeting?" "Sure that sounds great Nicky. See you then." "Ok chin up Vause and I'll pick you up soon." They hung up and Alex went to get ready. After she showered and dressed, Alex walked back into the living room to find Sylvie sitting on the couch. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to get lost last night! Alex shouted. "I needed to talk to you, but you won't return my calls or texts," Sylvie replies. "For good reason too! I have nothing else to say to you!" "You broke your number one promise to me, that you would never cheat! I'm annulling our marriage. I'm having Fahri draw up the papers as we speak." Sylvie looked at Alex in disbelief. "You can't mean that Alex. I made a big mistake. Can't you please forgive me? I'll never do it again I promise!" Sylvie began to cry but Alex wasn't buying it. "It wasn't so much the fact that you cheated, it's the person you cheated with that hurts the most Sylvie!" "Our marriage is over. Pack the rest of your things and get out."

Sylvie just stood there. "Where am I supposed to go? What about the show? We still have to work together you know." Alex sighed frustrated with the whole situation. "The living situation isn't my problem. I'm sure you'll bounce back. As for the show, we'll figure something out. Former real life couples have to work together on shows after the relationship fails. I'm sure we can too." "Well we'll have to, because I'm not giving up this show." Sylvie says. "Neither am I" Alex replies. Just then the intercom buzzer sounds. Alex walks over to the intercom and presses the button. "Yes!" "Hey Vause I'm here!" "Ok I'll be right down!" Alex replies. She walks past Sylvie and grabs her purse off the bar. "Do you have a meeting with Caputo and Fig this morning?" Sylvie asks. "Yes I do." Alex replies.

Alex walks toward the door and notices that Sylvie goes to follow. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" "I'm riding with you, I have a meeting too." "Oh hell no, you can't ride with us. Find your own way down there." With that Alex walks out, leaving a stunned Sylvie behind. Alex takes the elevator down from the 5th floor and steps outside to find Nicky leaning against her car. "It's about time Vause! You sure know how to keep a bitch waiting!" Alex flips Nicky the bird. "Oh fuck off Nichols! I got out of the shower to find Sylvie waiting for me!" "What the hell did she want? Nicky asked. "To try convincing me to give her another chance, but I told her that I'm annulling the marriage as soon as Fahri gives me the papers." "About damn time Vause, I told you she was no good." "Yes I know Nicky but, we still will have to work with her." "Don't remind me Vause, watching her act makes me want to claw my own eyes out." "Alex laughed. "Don't I know it, I don't know how we made it through 2 seasons already.

They laugh as they reach the office building where Caputo's office is located. They park and walk in the lobby. They greet O'Neill the doorman as they enter and walk to the elevator. As they ride up, Nicky looks at Alex who looks unsure. "Nervous Vause," Nicky asks. "A little, I just wish that Caputo hadn't sounded so cryptic on the phone,"Alex replies. "I'm sure everything will be fine Vause don't worry." The elevator opens, and as they step out, they see Caputo and Fig standing outside their joint office waiting on them. "Ladies good morning how are you?" Natalie Figueroa greets them with a smile. "Good," Alex and Nicky reply simultaneously as they step in the office. "Good morning ladies let's get this meeting started shall we." Caputo says all business. "Scotch ladies?" Fig offers. "Absolutely," Alex says. "Sure Fig thanks! Nicky replies.

They all take a moment to sip their glasses of scotch and then Caputo clears his throat. "Ok ladies there is a reason we've called you here today. There has been a new development for Season 3 of Litchfield place and we need to discuss it with you Alex. This involves you completely." Alex just sits there patiently sipping her scotch waiting for Caputo to continue. "First let us ask you a personal question Alex" Fig says." How are things between you and Sylvie?" Alex decided not to lie. "Not good at all, I'm annulling the marriage due to her infidelity." Fig and Caputo look at each other and they look relieved.

"Alright here's the deal. There has been a rewrite of the last episode of Litchfield Place. We're writing Slyvia Miller completely out of the show and she will not be back for Season 3."Caputo says. "What?" Alex asks completely shocked. Fig looks around at the 3 of them and takes a deep breath. "Well as you are well aware of, the fans hate Sylvie and frankly so do the rest of us. She's demanding and a total diva which we don't appreciate. The ratings have been down, and thank goodness the network decided to give us another chance. We will pay her for the termination of this season's contract and then she will not be back." Alex downs the rest of her scotch and looks at Nicky. 'Did you know about this, she mouths to Nicky who just shrugs and smiles. She looks back at Caputo and Fig "So where does that leave me?" "We've hired another actress as your new love interest. We'd like for you to meet her now before we break for hiatus that way hopefully you will like and get to know each other before the new season starts. She's well known so I'm sure you will already know who she is." Right about that time Caputo's phone rings. He picks it up."Caputo. Good send her in." The door opens and in walks the actress. Alex's mouth and throat go dry. 'OMG she's even more beautiful in person', Alex thinks. Fig and Caputo stand up and Alex stays rooted to the spot unable to take her eyes off the woman. "Alex Vause meet Piper Chapman. Piper Chapman meet Alex Vause." Piper smiles and holds out her hand and Alex stands and reaches up. They shake hands and they both feel the electric shock when their hands touch. "Holy shit! They both say.

End of chapter

Author's note: Sorry it took so long. Piper's story is in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the update!


	5. Piper

When Make Believe Becomes Reality

5\. Piper

Hello everyone! Thank you for the great reviews and the follows of this story. This chapter is mostly Piper's story. Enjoy!

Piper Chapman had always wanted to be an actress for as long as she could remember. From the time she played little Cinderella in an elementary school play, she knew it was what she wanted to do. Her mother thought it was just silly nonsense and so she had to just stick with plays and playing dress up and make believe in her own bedroom. As she grew up she took drama in high school and became a favorite of the drama teacher, Mrs. Collins. After high school graduation, she told her parents she wanted to major in theater arts, but she had it already lined up to go to Smith and be an English major. Buckling under the pressure from her parents, she did as she was told. She did however, sign up for drama classes. While performing in Romeo and Juliet during her senior year at Smith, she caught the attention of Sam Healy who offered to become her agent and manager. Piper readily accepted and on graduation night, informed her parents that she was going to start acting. Her mother naturally did not take the news well at all and while her father wasn't thrilled, he wanted his only daughter to be happy.

4 years later, Piper and her mother were barely on speaking terms. Carol Chapman didn't think being an actress was a great career choice, unlike Danny the golden child, and Piper's older brother. He had become a doctor and the pride and joy of the Chapman household. Cal, Piper's younger brother was the only exception besides Piper. He had gotten tired of the parental pressure and, as soon as he turned 18, he moved out of the house and out into a trailer in the woods where he made and sold art. He had a natural artistic ability and was able to sculpt and paint just about anything. Piper was very proud of her younger brother and the feeling was mutual. Piper had worked hard and was now a successful movie and tv actress. Healy had gotten her a part in a tv drama about men and women in their 20s and it became very successful.

It ran for 6 years and made Piper a lot of money, most of which she invested and the rest she put away. She could retire right now if she wanted to if she didn't love the job so much. Playing a character unlike herself was an exhilarating challenge. Now if she could only say the same about her love life. Over the years Piper realized that she didn't have a sexual preference. She had dated both men and women and it didn't matter the gender, she enjoyed sex with both. Her best friend Polly(who had been her best friend since childhood)had never understood that and kept trying to set her up with only men. They had argued over it quite a bit, as Polly thought it was just a phase, and Piper trying to get it through her thick head that it wasn't. Finally Polly backed off for a while and let Piper do her own thing. Then at one of their parties, Polly and her fiancé Pete, introduced her to a new guy to their circle Larry Bloom. He seemed like a nice enough guy and knew when to say or do the right thing. They hit it off, and after 6 years of dating, they moved in together. Larry had always wanted the move to be sooner, but Piper wanted to wait for the right time.

Unfortunately as luck would have it, no sooner than they moved in together, Larry lost his writing job at the newspaper he was working for. They were at a wrap party for a tv movie Piper had finished working on, when Larry got really drunk and insulted a man whom he didn't realize was going to be his new boss. No matter how many times he tried to apologize and explain things. He was told to pack his things and be out of there the next day. Since then, Larry has had trouble finding work, and would just sit and play on the computer or watch tv which annoyed Piper to no end. Piper would work her ass off and come home to find Larry in the same spot he was in when she left and then he would have the nerve to expect her to make dinner when he could very well get up off his lazy ass and do it himself. For this reason, Piper made sure that they had separate bank accounts and that she would only pay his living expenses. If he wanted something else, he would borrow money from his parents. Larry was upset about this but Piper was firm when she said, that with no job that that's all she would do.

During this short period of time, Larry had done a 180 and became something she couldn't stand. A whiney ass little mama's boy who would just sit around getting drunk and then would become demanding, treating her like his maid. After a bad fight, she told him to pack his shit and go home to his parents. He was mad enough that he did just that, but when the alcohol wore off, he called her crying, begging her to give him another chance. Her resolve faded and she let him come home. At first things were better, but now the bad things were happening again. It was right about now that Piper decided to pursue a new project. When the script for "Litchfield Place" came her way, Piper thought it was a dream come true. She absolutely loved the show, partly because of the show's lead actress, Alex Vause. Piper was a huge fan of hers and had tried to watch everything she had ever been in. She even admitted to herself that she had a crush on Alex. Piper knew Alex was gay and married to the other lead on the show. Sylvie. Piper couldn't stand Sylvie not because of her crush, but because she thought Sylvie was a horrible actress and a horrible person who was not right for Alex.

When Piper decided to take the role, she had to overcome two obstacles, Healy and Larry. Sam Healy was extremely homophobic and tried to talk her out of taking this role, saying it was going against everything he thought she stood for. She convinced him that this was a role in which she could challenge herself, and that at the end of the day, she would still go home to Larry. At this reasoning Healy had given in and allowed her to take the role. Larry on the other hand was harder to convince. As soon as she told him, he started his whining. "Pipes why are you going to take this part?! It's a lesbian drama and you're not gay!" She just looked at him and said, "I know it's a lesbian drama, I love the show and the script. It's too great an opportunity to pass up." Larry was silent for a moment before he started in again. "Well I don't like the fact that you'll be playing a lesbian. What will people say?" Piper looked at Larry in disbelief. "You're starting to sound like my mother. There's a reason I stopped talking to her you know." Larry kept going, not quite catching the hint. "Why do you have to work anyway? You have all that money saved up, why not stop acting for awhile and we'll have some time to ourselves." Piper was starting to get pissed off, but she kept her cool. "Well when you finally get a job and start contributing instead of trying to live off me and your parents, then maybe I'll consider it." Larry turned red and Piper could tell she had struck a nerve. "That's a low blow Piper! I've tried and tried, but I think that new boss blackballed me after I was fired. I can't get a writing job anywhere here in New York!" Piper almost popped off that maybe it was because of his crappy writing skills. 'Who wants to read an article about edging,' Piper thought." Well have you tried nearby? Like say in another state?! Because something needs to change Larry! Your parents already hate me because of the way I'm treating their baby boy, but I'm putting my foot down! I'm taking this role and you're going to keep looking for a job or you can move back in with your parents. Is that clear?!" She almost felt sorry for Larry because he looked like he was going to wet his pants. "I'll do everything I can to find a job Pipes, but please don't take this part. I don't want to lose you to a woman," Larry replied. Piper had been honest with him when she told him she had been with both sexes. Since then he jealously scrutinized her female friends as if they were going to take her from him. "It's just a part in a television show. I'll still come home to you every night," Piper tried reassuring him although she wasn't sure herself. She looked forward to working with Alex Vause and hoped that she could keep up her resolve to keep the relationship professional. This seemed to appease Larry and he shut up and asked in his typical fashion what was for dinner. She just told him to order Chinese since she didn't feel like cooking. She had to be up early to meet with Mr. Caputo and Mrs. Figueroa and do a read through of her lines. So Larry dutifully ordered Chinese which they ate and then they went to bed. Piper was excited for the next day for she wasn't sure what the future held just yet.

The next morning she met with Fig, Caputo and a writer/director for the show Nicky Nicols. She read a few lines with Nicky under guidance of Fig and Caputo in the background observing. She was the last in a long line of actresses reading for her part. When she finished with Nicky they told her to wait, while they stood and talked. She wondered what was up because they kept looking in her direction and smiling. Piper had learned a long time ago not to assume anything, but she still kept hoping. Finally they came back over and congratulated her. Piper was ecstatic, she had gotten the part. Fig and Caputo both shook her hand and told her to come back the following day for a meeting with Nicky and Alex Vause.

Nicky offered to walk her out and as they walked she confided in Piper that they were replacing Sylvie with her. This caused Piper to stop dead in her tracks which caused Nicky endless amusement. "So let me get this straight, I'm going to be playing her love interest?" Nicky smirked at her and replied "You bet Chapman! We think you'll do just fine." Piper was still shocked. "What about Sylvie?" Nicky smiled and said, "Oh we're firing her! Got so sick of her sucky ass acting and her horrible attitude! Try not to give us too much attitude eh Chapman!" Piper nodded quickly "Of course, no problem!" Nicky smiled and thought to herself 'Vause is going to love her!' That night Piper couldn't sleep much, she kept thinking about what Nicky told her. 'So that means I get to kiss her and have love scenes with her. WOW I'll get to kiss Alex Vause.'

The next day, Piper thoughtlessly kissed Larry goodbye and left for the meeting with Caputo, Fig, Nicky and Alex Vause. Piper got on the elevator and stood on shaking legs as she waited for the elevator to reach the right floor. The elevator doors finally opened and she walked into the office where his secretary Chang told Caputo she was there. Chang then told Piper to go on in. Willing her legs to stop shaking, she opened the door and walked inside. Right away her eyes landed on Alex Vause and the world just stopped. 'OMG there she is, wow she's even more gorgeous in person!' Piper thought. She faintly heard introductions being made and then Alex stood up and held out her hand. Piper took her hand to shake it and she felt the electricity go through her hand. 'Holy shit!' Piper thought. She looked down at their hands and back up into Alex's eyes and realized Alex had done the same. 'She felt it too',

Piper thought. As they stood there in silence still holding hands, Alex finally spoke up. "Nice to meet you Piper" Alex said in that sexy deep voice of hers. Piper nearly melted right then there, but composed herself. "Likewise Alex," she tried to say in a confident voice. Alex smiled at her and it was like a light went on inside of Piper's dark world. Right then and there she knew that her relationship with Larry was in trouble because she knew without a doubt that she was falling for Alex Vause. At that notion Piper thought ' What the hell am I going to do'?!

End of chapter

Sorry this took so long everybody. Life got in the way. Plus apologies for not enough interaction between Alex and Piper in this chapter, but I wanted to get Piper's backstory out of the way. Enjoy!


	6. 6 The Fallout with Sylvie Part 1

5\. The Fallout with Sylvie Part 1

Piper and Alex stood there still holding hands. They couldn't stop looking into each other's eyes and grinning like idiots. They almost forgot they weren't alone until Caputo's voice startled them both. "Well I see you two are hitting it off already. That's great because you will be spending a lot of time together this coming season. Please sit and join us Ms. Chapman."

Piper took the empty seat on Alex's other side and tried to pay attention although Alex's close proximity was driving her crazy. As soon as she sat down Fig spoke up, "Well ladies as you know the season is wrapping next week and then our hiatus starts. We suggest the two of you get to know each other on hiatus and get comfortable with each other. How does that sound?"

Alex and Piper look at each other and smile. "Sounds good to me. Piper?" Piper thought it was a great idea. "Of course. I can do that ", Piper said trying to sound professional although she was very excited at the prospect of spending time with Alex.

"Alright ladies everything looks in order. Piper here is your contract. Please look it over, sign it now or take it and have it back to us on Monday morning." Piper(who has a knack for speed reading) read and signed it. "Here you go Mr. Caputo." Caputo took the contract from Piper and then everyone stood up. Fig spoke up first. "Alright ladies thank you for your time. Alex, your script for the finale will be sent to you by tomorrow. We'll see you next Monday?" Alex smiled, "Of course Natalie, see you then. Bye Joe." " See you next Monday Alex," replied Caputo. The group began walking to the door. Alex turned to Piper. "Can I take you out to lunch?" Alex asked Piper. Piper smiled wide. "Of course, I'd love to have lunch with you." Suddenly nervous for some reason, Alex turns to Nicky. "Care to join us Nicky?" Nicky looked back and forth between the two women. "Sorry Vause I can't. I have to be present for one more meeting. I'm sure you can guess who it's with." Before Alex can open her mouth and say a word, a loud voice comes out of nowhere. "WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?!" They turn around to see Sylvie marching toward them. "Fuuuccckkk!" Alex whispers under her breath. Before any of them can answer, Fig and Caputo come out of the office. "Ahhh Sylvie you made it. Please step into the office."

Sylvie ignores Fig and continues to glare at the trio. She shoves her hand at Piper. "Sylvia Miller-Vause, Alex's wife, and you are…" Before Piper can open her mouth, Alex steps between them. "My soon to be ex-wife actually. This is Piper Chapman, she'll be joining the cast." "Since when?!" Sylvie yelled. "Oh you're about to find out actually" Nicky butts in clearly enjoying herself. "Sylvie, Nicky get in the office now!" Caputo says clearly annoyed at this point. Sylvie glares at Piper and Alex one last time before disappearing into the room. "Where are you going for lunch Vause?" Alex looks at Piper. "Mario's Italiano sound good?" Piper nodded. "Sounds great!" "Ok I'll meet you there after this meeting." Nicky says with a devilish smile on her face as she walks into the room. Alex motions toward the elevator. "Shall we?" Piper smiles brightly,"We shall."

As they walk toward the elevator Alex says "Oh I wish I could be a fly on the wall right now." Piper laughs and says "No kidding!" Just as they reached the elevator, the doors opened and Fahri's messenger stepped out. "Hi Alex these are for you from Fahri!" "Hello Max, that was fast!" Alex signs for the papers and takes them from Max. "Tell Fahri thank for me!" Max smiles, "my pleasure Alex have a nice day!" He gets back on the elevator and Alex opens the envelope to pull out annulment papers. She smiles at Piper. "Life is good! So lunch?" Piper nods and they get on the elevator to head to Mario's.

End of chapter.

I'm splitting this chapter into 2 parts. The next update will be up soon. Enjoy!


	7. 7 The Fallout With Sylvie Part 2

7\. The Fallout With Sylvie Part 2

First of all, I want to apologize for being gone for so long. Life got in the way and then, my computer crashed. I tried to save what I could, but I pretty much lost a lot of what I had already written. It upset me so much that I lost the heart to write for awhile. I now have a new computer so here I am. Enjoy!

Second, I realize that this whole time, I haven't done the whole disclamer thing. Nothing belongs to me, please don't sue or kill me….blah blah blah. Ok here we go.

Alex and Piper walked out of the building towards the street. Alex, having caught a ride with Nicky, turned to Piper. "Did you take a cab here?"Alex asked looking expectantly at Piper. Piper smiled at Alex," Yes I did, what about you?" Alex smiled back. "I rode with Nicky so a cab it is then!" Alex turned to hail a taxi giving Piper the opportunity to really look at Alex. 'Oh my God, she's so beautiful in person. I'm so lucky to finally work with her. I know I'm with Larry, but I can't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss those inviting lips and run my fingers through that gorgeous dark hair.'

Piper has had a crush on Alex for as long as she could remember. She has seen everything that Alex has been in, and had a hidden copy of the Maxim magazine photoshoot that Alex had been in. She had to hide it where Larry couldn't find it, because even though he agreed Alex was hot, he would be upset as to the real reason Piper had it. When Piper heard about the new role on Litchfield Place, she jumped at it in a heartbeat. Much to the chagrin of Piper's homophobic agent Healy and of course Larry. Even if she hadn't gotten the role, she would've made sure to cross paths with Alex eventually. She had felt that their meeting was inevitable. Unfortunately, Piper had met Sylvie first. They had met at a fundraiser that Sylvie claimed she was forced to go to. She had been a complete bitch from the start, demanding everything and being satisfied with nothing. It had been so bad, that Piper caught one of the staff, spitting in Sylvie's drink. Piper laughed internally at the memory thinking Sylvie had gotten what she deserved. She couldn't understand what Alex saw in the woman. Alex had come across as being super intelligent and far superior than her wife. Maybe Piper could be the one to open Alex's eyes and see what's right in front of her.

The cab pulled up and Piper snapped back to the present. Alex opened the door and gestured for Piper to climb in. "Gorgeous new costars first". Alex said with a beaming smile. Piper smiled back "Why thank you kindly, equally gorgeous new costar!" Alex watched Piper climb in, taking the opportunity to stare at Piper's ass. 'God she's so adorable.' Alex climbed in and shut the door. "Mario's Italian restaurant please." She turned to Piper "I hope Italian is ok." Piper's eyes lit up, "I love Mario's it's perfect!" Alex smiled, "Me too, something we already have in common kid!" As the cab drove to their destination, Alex noticed that Piper was lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?" Piper looked at Alex and smiled. "I'm just really excited to finally work with you. I know I sound silly, but I'm a big fan of yours." Alex smiled at that, "It's not silly at all. It's totally mutual."

After a few minutes the taxi pulled up to the restaurant. Alex paid the fare and they climbed out and walked to the door. This time Piper held the door for Alex and said, "Beautiful ladies first!" Alex smiled, "Thank you gorgeous!" Piper followed blushing. After the waiter seated them, he took their drink order. Alex ordered a bottle of wine for two which made Piper happy. It made her feel like they were on a date, which was very welcomed by her despite her situation. Once the waiter left them alone, Alex leaned forward onto her arms and looked at Piper. "Tell me about yourself," she said. Piper blushed, "What do you want to know?" Alex grinned, "Well I know the basics and what you've been in, but tell me something that's not common knowledge." Piper looked at Alex for a moment. Something about Alex made her comfortable to talk to her about Larry. So she decided to be honest about everything.

"Well I'm sure you know that I'm in a long term relationship with a guy named Larry Bloom." 'Unfortunately' Alex thought trying not to show her disappointment and failed, as Piper had noticed and smiled internally. "Well", Piper continued, "What people don't know is, the relationship isn't going so well." Alex perked up at this. "Really, what's wrong?" Before Piper knew it, everything spilled out of her. As she talked, Alex nodded sympathetically in all the right places thinking to herself, 'Note to self, time to steal Piper from this deadbeat prick as soon as possible.'

"So basically he's turned into a big whining deadbeat who writes shitty articles?" Alex guessed as Piper finished her rant about her stupid boyfriend. "Exactly!" Piper replied, relieved that someone finally listens and gets what she's saying. "Sorry I didn't mean to ramble on about it, it's just nice to finally be able to talk to someone about it. I'm estranged from my parents, and my best friend Polly thinks the world of Larry and always defends him whenever I complain about him. She and her husband Pete introduced us. Nice of them eh?" Alex smiled. "Yes just peachy. You can talk to me anytime kid. If I may ask, why do you stay with him if it's that bad. Sorry if I'm overstepping." Piper smiles "Oh no it's ok. Every time I say I can't do this anymore especially during an argument, he starts crying. Then I feel bad."

"Ahhh the classic guilt trip. Works every time, I should know, I've been through some of those myself. " Alex replies thinking of Sylvie, so she can sympathize with Piper. "With Sylvie?" Piper asks. "Unfortunately yes, but I don't want to talk about her right now." They are silent for a moment, and then Alex remembers something else Piper said. "You said you're estranged from your parents?" Piper's smile disappears and Alex is about to apologize when Piper speaks. "Yes I am. Let's just say that acting wasn't their first choice of a career for me. I was supposed to be a doctor like my older brother Danny, or a lawyer or business woman. I chose acting which horrified my mother. She thinks it's degrading. Heaven forbid, I tarnish the family reputation. It's all about image with my mother. So much for her daughter doing something that makes her happy. What's funny is that all of her friends adore me. She can't seem to see that." My father has come around, and I'm close with both of my brothers, so it's all good. Look at me, I'm rambling again."Alex chuckles, gazing adoringly at Piper. "It's quite alright kid, I love listening to you."

Piper blushes hard and looks down, taking a sip of her wine. After a moment she speaks again. "What about you, are you close to your parents?" Alex smiles. "Well it's just my Mom. My Dad left before I was born. I didn't have much growing up, but my Mom worked like crazy to make sure I was taken care of. Now that I'm famous, I take care of her now, so she doesn't have to work so much. We're incredibly close, so unfortunately I can't understand what you're going through with that one. In fact I have her to thank for my strong work ethic."

Piper smiles again. She has hardly stopped smiling this whole time. Alex just brings it out in her. "I don't think you've slowed down at all. I think you're amazing. I've seen everything you've ever been in." Alex smiles back. "Like I said before, the feeling is mutual kid. You're amazing as well." Piper blushed again and was about to say something when Alex's phone went off. It was a text from Nicky wondering where they were. Alex replies to the text and puts the phone down. Just as Piper opened her mouth, her phone went off with a text alert. She looked at her phone and frowned, seeing that it was from Larry. She put her phone down, not bothering to respond. She didn't feel like spoiling the good mood she was in.

"Was that Mr. Whiny butt?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Piper burst out laughing at Larry's new nickname. Alex joined in the laughter and it took them a few minutes to calm down. "Why yes it was, I'll deal with him later. I don't want to spoil our lunch date. Piper realized what she said as soon as it came out. "I….I mean," Piper stammered. Alex just smiled placing her hand over Piper's. "It can be whatever you want it to be Pipes." Piper knew then and there that her crush on Alex was turning into something more. She knew she had to be careful. She was still with Larry and Alex was still married. Thinking of that, Piper once again raised the subject of Sylvie. "I know you said you don't want to talk about her, but I know I'm replacing Sylvie on the show. How do you feel about that?"

Alex decides to go ahead and tell Piper what's going on after everything Piper told her about her own relationship issues. "I personally don't care what happens to Sylvie at this point. Those papers that were delivered to me before we got on the elevator, are for an annulment on the grounds of infidelity. I caught her cheating on me." Piper looked shocked although she's not really surprised. "I'm sorry Alex. That really sucks, although I don't see how anyone could cheat on anyone as gorgeous as you." Piper thinks, 'there you go with your foot in the mouth again Piper'. Alex thinks 'I definitely need to make this girl mine.' "It's ok Pipes. It gives the excuse I need to end it for good. I never should have married her. Our relationship didn't start out bad, but after we got married, she changed. These past 6 months with her have been hell. She didn't even get along with my mother, and my mother is an easygoing people person. Shows how bad it was getting." Piper nodded. "I know, I've had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting her. She was a total bitch to me, so what comes around goes around." Alex nods, "I totally agree." They just sat back gazing at each other each admiring the other.

Just then, Nicky walked up to the table. "Here I am ladies!" She looks back and forth between them and sees the looks they're giving each other. 'this should be interesting.' "What did I miss?" She knew full well, how charming Alex could be, and she seemed to be roping Piper in. "We're just getting to know each other. Right Pipes?" Piper could only nod, not trusting her voice. Alex smiled at Piper's loss of words and looked at Nicky. "So Nichols, how did the meeting go? How did she take it?" Nicky laughed and pulled out her phone. "About as well as you thought Vause. Everything started out ok. Then they broke the news and she went berserk. Donaldson and O'Neil had to escort her out." Nicky pushed a couple of buttons on her phone and laid it down in the middle of the table. "Here it is, for your viewing pleasure. Caputo and Fig had to plead with me not to put it on youtube."

Alex and Piper leaned over to look at the video. They could see Sylvie sitting at the table with Fig and Caputo on either side of her, with Nicky sitting across from her. Caputo speaks first. 'Well Sylvie as you know, we've gotten numerous complaints from the cast and crew about you being extremely difficult to work with. Your attitude has gotten completely unprofessional and frankly, we're tired of having to talk to you about it. Plus the ratings have dropped considerably since the start of the season and fans have been complaining about you and your character as well.' Sylvie looked between Caputo and Fig. 'Ok so what's going on here?' Fig spoke up, 'Well Sylvie, after much consideration and thought, we've decided to make some changes to keep the series from cancellation. Basically the network is giving us another chance given that we make a major change. That being, that you are no longer a part of the show.'

Realization crossed Sylvie's face. 'What are you saying?' Caputo spoke up again. 'We will be paying out the rest of your contract for this season and then you will not be returning for season 3.' Sylvie jumped up from her seat. 'What do you mean I'm not returning?!' Nicky spoke up, 'Gee Sylvie, do we have to spell it out for you?!' Fig spoke up next, 'You're being fired Sylvie. You've caused trouble here long enough.' Then as Nicky said, the explosion came. 'I'M FIRED?! LIKE HELL I AM, THIS IS BULLSHIT! YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I MADE THIS SHOW WHAT IT IS!' Fig spoke up, 'We can and we are. The only reason the network gave us another chance is because of Alex and the rest of the cast. We've already hired another actress to replace you. Come Monday morning, you will be allowed on the set to clean out your dressing room and then you are gone for good.'

By this time, Sylvie was shaking with rage. 'YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I'LL SUE YOU!' Caputo looked at her calmly and said, 'You can try, but it was in your contract from day one, that we have the right to release you anytime you want. Obviously you didn't read that part of it when you signed it.' Sylvie suddenly looked at Nicky who was snickering so hard, the camera was shaking. 'YOU, YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU AND ALEX DID THIS AFTER WHAT I DID!' 'Actually that's not true, this was already in place despite what happened between you and Vause. She didn't know anything about this, until this morning, same as you',Nicky replied. 'You're out, it's as simple as that. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.' Caputo tried not to laugh at what Nicky said, 'Nicky please, she's already mad enough. Let's not stir the hornet's nest any further shall we.' Sylvie glowered at the 3 of them. 'THIS ISN'T OVER, YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY!' 'Sylvie it IS over, please leave before we call security,' Fig says, having had enough of Sylvie. 'Too late, I've already called them', Caputo says with a smile.

The door opens and security guards, Donaldson and O'Neil walk in. 'You called Joe?, asks Donaldson, looking around the room. 'Yes gentlemen, please escort this young lady out of the building,' Caputo says, pointing at Sylvie. Donaldson and O'Neil both smile and step up to grab Sylvie's arms. Neither one of them could stand her due to all of the trouble she had caused both on the set and in the office. 'Alright you heard the man, out you go!, O'Neil says. Sylvie tried to free her arms, but the men were too strong. 'GET OFF OF ME! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS, I'LL BRING YOU ALL DOWN, JUST WAIT AND SEE!' Sylvie could be heard screaming down the hall. Fig turned to Caputo and Nicky. 'Well…that went well.' The 3 of them started to laugh and Fig turned to Nicky. 'Whatever you do Nicky, please don't put that on youtube.' Nicky can be heard saying 'Awww man!' before the video clicked off.

Alex and Nicky sat there laughing, while Piper looked shocked. "Wow, she wasn't mad or anything!" She knew that Sylvie had a reputation for having a bad temper and for being a bitch, but this wasn't something she was expecting. "Is she always like this?" Alex and Nicky look at each other and back at Piper. "YES!" they both say at once laughing. Before Piper can say anymore, a waiter arrives with their food and takes Nicky's order. As Nicky's ordering her food, Piper's phone begins to ring. The display reads Larry and she groans aloud. 'Better get this over with', Piper thinks and answers the phone. Before she can speak, Larry is already whining as usual. 'Piper where are you?!' Piper rolls her eyes. 'Fucking Larry', she thinks. "I'm having lunch with two of my new co-workers," Piper says, noticing that Alex and Nicky are both watching her. 'Well when are you coming home, I'm hungry,'he whines. "I don't know when I'll be home Larry, why do you make yourself a sandwich. Or better yet, you still have some of your parent's money left over, why don't you order you some Chinese or Pizza?" Larry was silent for a moment and she could tell that he didn't like her response. "You're not going to make me dinner?!" Piper rolled her eyes. She was sick and tired of his constant whining and doing everything for him. She decided to say what was on her mind for a change.

"No I'm not, and frankly I'm really sick and tired of doing everything for you. You're a grown man and you need to start acting like it. Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll bring you a doggy bag. I'll talk to you later, my food's here." She says, hanging up before he can say another word. She knows they'll fight when she gets home, but at the moment, she could care less. She throws her phone into her bag, and looks up to find Alex and Nicky both smiling proudly at her. "What?!" Piper asks nonchalantly. "Grew a pair there eh Chapman?!, Nicky said looking impressed. Piper just laughs and looks down at her food. "This looks delicious. I'm famished!" Alex looks at Piper and thinks, 'I'm definitely falling for her.'

The waiter shows back up at the table with a bottle of champagne. "We need to celebrate!"Nicky says as the waiter opens the champagne and pours 3 glasses. Before they toast, Alex says, "Hold on a minute!" She reaches into her bag and pulls out the papers. She takes a pen and signs them. "There, that's that!" she says with a smile. Nicky raises her glass,"To the end of Sylvie and to the beginning of Piper Chapman!" Alex raises her glass, "To the end of my old life, and to the beginning of a new one!" Piper raises her glass, "To new beginnings!" she says, looking directly at Alex. They clink glasses and take a drink of champagne. Looking at the other two, Piper is suddenly very excited to begin this new chapter in her life.

End of chapter.

There you have it! A long update. Sorry if there are any mistakes. I started getting very tired while writing this! Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

8\. Visiting the set

It was Monday morning and Piper was in her car driving to the Litchfield Place set. She'd been invited to visit the set to meet everyone, see where it was being filmed, etc. She would also get to see part of the last episode of the season being filmed. As Piper drove, she was getting excited. Not only because she finally gets to see behind the scenes of the show she was finally getting to be a part of, she gets to see Alex again. Since their lunch on Saturday, Alex was on her mind constantly. She knew that she was falling for Alex and she had a hunch that it was mutual. Piper wasn't sure though. She had read and heard of Alex's reputation for being able to charm women, and Piper was sure that she herself was no different. She decided to let it play out on its own. She still had the situation with Larry to deal with.

Piper had started the day in a really foul mood to start out with. It was all due to of course Larry. As she had predicted, when she got home Saturday, they had gotten into a huge argument, that ended with him packing a bag and going to stay at his parents. She didn't hear from him the rest of Saturday and part of Sunday. It was nice not having to listen to his whining or him having the tv too loud while she was trying to read. Or having to fix dinner for him. She actually got to order Chinese for herself for a change and order exactly what she wanted. When they ordered Chinese, Larry would always get what he wanted whether she liked it or not. Then she would have to stomach it just to shut him up. She had made the mistake of complaining about not liking something he ordered. She didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the night.

When she went to bed, she had found that she actually didn't mind sleeping without Larry. She got all the blankets to herself, as opposed to sleeping with Larry who hogged all of the covers. She wondered if he did it on purpose so that she would have no choice but to snuggle with him. Instead she would get up and add an extra blanket to the bed, which she knew annoyed him. He would whine that there were too many blankets to which she would counter that if he didn't stop stealing them then she wouldn't have this one to begin with. Of course another argument would follow. She briefly wondered if Alex was a cover stealer. Of course if she was, Piper wouldn't mind snuggling with her. Just the thought of it, made Piper extremely warm all over. She dreamed of Alex both nights that she was alone and oh what nice dreams they were. When she had woken up Sunday, Alex had gotten her number and called her to invite her to the set on Sunday. She spent the whole day picking out a perfect outfit. She realized that her favorite outfit was at the dry cleaners. It wouldn't have been a problem, except that the one time Larry actually got off of his lazy ass and dropped off the dry cleaning, he kept the ticket in his wallet instead of putting it on the corkboard in the kitchen. So she had to go through her closet for a new one.

Then this morning, she was getting ready for work, when her phone rang. It was Polly, telling her that Larry was with her and Pete. Apparently Larry and his Dad had a disagreement and he came to stay with them. Piper joked that there was a lot of that going around lately. Suddenly Larry was on the phone, asking Piper if she had finally seen the error of her ways. That really pissed Piper off, and they started another argument on the phone. Then Polly got on the phone and started yelling at Piper for the way she was treating Larry. Piper then yelled at Polly for sticking up for Larry when she was supposed to be Piper's friend. Polly wouldn't hear of it though and started accusing Piper of not supporting Larry's situation and nothing Piper could say could appease Polly, so Piper ended up yelling at Polly that she could keep him if she liked him so much. She could hear Pete in the background telling everyone to calm down, and she decided to just hang up on Polly. It didn't do any good to keep talking to a brick wall. Lately, Piper was wondering when Polly had turned anti-Piper and Pro-Larry. They had been friends ever since Piper could remember and this is the first time, Polly hadn't taken her side, when a relationship wasn't going well. After she got off the phone, she decided to make herself some breakfast. When she got to the kitchen, she found that she had no milk. 'Fucking Larry drank all the milk again and didn't tell me.' Then she discovered that she was also out of coffee. 'At least the lazy whiny butt knows how to make coffee.' That seemed to be all he was good for these days. She decided to leave early and pick one up on the way. Piper got to Starbucks and found the line was way too long. She decided that Mr. Jesus must be against her today. So she just decided to head on to the studio.

When she got to the studio, she decided to put all her troubles aside and concentrate on having a good day. She parked the car and got out and walked to the guard house. A young female guard with a sweet face, who's name tag said Fischer, greeted her. "Hello!"she said with a smile. "May I have your name please?" Piper smiled back liking her already. "Piper Chapman, I'm visiting the Litchfield Place set today. I start on the show next season." Fischer got a knowing look on her face. "So you're THE Piper Chapman who'll be replacing the Wicked Bitch of the West next season." As soon as it came out of her mouth, Fischer looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry forgive me, I shouldn't have said that." Piper smiled reassuringly at the blushing red guard. "It's alright. I've heard that a lot lately!" Fischer looked relieved that Piper wasn't upset about it. "Yeah she wasn't very popular around here. She was quite mean and demanding. Everyone was tired of her. I got to where I wanted to hide when I saw her coming." Piper laughed at that. "Well I can assure you, that I'll never give you a reason to hide." Fischer looked happy to hear that. "Thank you Ms. Chapman!" Piper laughed again. "Please call me Piper. Ms. Chapman makes me feel like my mother!" "Ok Piper, then you can call me Susan." Fischer replied. "Thanks Susan, it's been nice meeting you!" Piper said as Susan lifted the barrier. "Likewise Piper, have a nice day!" Piper wished her the same and walked down the walkway that led to the set.

Just as Piper rounded the corner, she spotted Alex and Nicky sitting with a group of people. Some she recognized as cast members, and some she didn't. She was about to approach when Nicky looked up. "Hey Chapman, you made it!" Piper smiled and walked toward the group. Nicky stood up and came toward her and gave her a one armed hug. Piper noticed that Alex had stood up as well, and was waiting for Nicky to let go of Piper. Nicky pulled back and slapped Piper on the back. "Good to see ya! We're just having breakfast before we start shooting. Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone. Have you eaten?" Just then Piper's stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food and Nicky laughed. "I take that as a no, nervous Chapman?" "It's a long story Nicky, and yes I'm hungry." With another slap on the back, Nicky said, "Well let's get you some food, and introduce you to everybody!"

With a gesture for Piper to follow her, Nicky began walking toward the group. Piper went to follow, and suddenly Alex stood right in front of her. Before Piper could react, Alex had pulled her into a hug. After a few seconds of shock, Piper hugged her back. "Hey you!" Alex whispered in Piper's ear. Piper smiled. "Hi!" Piper whispered back. Alex broke the hug, but kept a hold of Piper's hands. "I'm so glad you made it kid. Are you ready to see how it's done?" Piper nodded excitedly. "Yes I've been looking forward to this since yesterday!" Before either of them can say another word, they hear Nicky's voice. "Hurry up you two, we have a schedule to keep you know." Both Alex and Piper laugh. "Yes boss Nichols," Alex shoots back and the two walk towards the table. Nicky comes and throws an arm around Piper. "Come on, first you need to meet the ladies who run the canteen. Red and Miss Claudette. There's also Gloria who helps with Taco Tuesdays, but she had something come up with her son, so she's not here today." Alex goes to come along, and Nicky shoos her away, "Go sit down, Vause, I got this. Finish your food, and I'll bring her back to you in a little bit." Alex sits down, but doesn't look very happy about it. It makes Piper want to go and hug her again, but she continues walking with Nicky, after smiling reassuringly at Alex, who returns it with a smile of her own.

They walk up to the door of the kitchen, when it opens and a fiery headed woman steps out with a stern looking black lady at her heels. Before Nicky can open her mouth, the red head speaks first. "Who've you got with you my daughter?" with a heavy Russian accent. Nicky smiles at the red head. "Ma, this is the new actress, Piper Chapman. She's replacing Sylvie. She's here today to meet everyone and to learn the ropes before the new season starts. Chapman, this here is my adopted mother, Galina, also known as Red. The lady with her is Miss Claudette. They run the kitchen." Piper smiles at both ladies who are eyeing her closely. "Are you going to give us any trouble Blondie?" Red asks. Piper is taken aback by Red's words and attitude towards her. "No, of course not!" Nicky sees what's happening and intervenes. "Ma, come on, back off. She's nothing like Sylvie. Can she get some breakfast please Ma?" Red continues looking closely at Piper for a moment, and then says, "Sure." Red turns and Piper sees two women in the kitchen washing up. "Norma, Gina, could you fix another plate for our guest please?" Norma smiles, where as Gina doesn't look too happy. "Sure Red." Gina says glaring at Piper. "It will be ready in a minute Blondie", Red says. "Thank you. It's nice to meet both of you." Red just nods and motions to Miss Claudette. "Come Miss Claudette, let's go and join the others." Miss Claudette nods while still staring at Piper. "I've got my eye on you Blondie. You give us any trouble and we'll have a big problem. You behave and we'll get along fine. Got it?!" Miss Claudette says to Piper with a no nonsense attitude. "Of course Miss Claudette." Red and Miss Claudette nod stiffly at her and make their way to the table where the others are seated.

Piper looked at Nicky, "What was that all about?" she asks looking at Nicky. Nicky smiles reassuringly at Piper. "It's not you, Chapman. You can thank Sylvie for that. She gave them hell from the moment she got here. Hell, the first fucking week, she insulted the food. You should have seen the faces of Ma and Miss Claudette. If looks could kill, we would've replaced her with you long ago!" "Really that's crazy!" Piper replies. Nicky laughs, "Tell me about it. Ma ended up starving her out for a month. Finally Sylvie gave a half hearted apology and Ma began serving her again, but I'm pretty sure Miss Claudette and the other girls made sure Sylvie got a "special"meal, if you know what I mean." "Wow, remind me never to get on their bad side."Piper says. Nicky smiles, "Good idea Chapman!" Piper decides to ask a question. "Nicky, why do you use my last name? Please call me Piper." Nicky smiles, "I do that with everyone, Chapman, not just you. It's just the way I am." Piper smiles. "Oh ok."

Just then they here a voice yell, "YO! Blondie, your tray is ready!" Nicky points to Gina. "That's Gina, she's a little quiet at first, but she's alright once you get to know her." Nicky points to the other one. "That's Norma. She has a really bad stutter, so she doesn't talk at all. So don't take it personally." They walk to the window to get Piper's tray which Norma sets down in front of her. "Thank you Norma!" Norma turns and walks off without any acknowledgment at all. Gina still stands glaring at Piper. "Thank you Gina!" Piper says to Gina. Gina just snorts and turns away. Piper picks up her tray and turns to Nicky. "Let me guess, Sylvie got to them too." Nicky nods at Piper as they walk back towards the table. "You guessed it. Sylvie bullied Gina and Norma badly. Especially Norma, because she doesn't talk. Gina is very protective of Norma, so Sylvie bullied her too." Piper nods understandingly, "No wonder, everyone wanted her gone!" Nicky nods, "Yeah she was pretty terrible. Plus her acting really sucked. At first everyone put up with it, but then after she married Vause, it got even worse. Finally nobody could take it anymore, and then when the ratings dropped, that was all they needed to give her the boot." Nicky mimics kicking somebody which made Piper laugh. They reached the table and Piper smiles at Alex, who pats the empty seat next to her. "Have a seat, kid." "Thank you Alex," Piper says and takes a seat and looks around the table.

Nicky speaks up, "Hey guys, this is Piper Chapman. She's taking Sylvie's place next season." A large black woman spoke up. "Ding dong, the bitch is gone!" Then she looks at Alex. "Sorry girl, but I got to say it!" Alex smiles, "It's alright Cindy! I'm glad she's gone too." A large butch woman, Piper recognizes, as a character named Lea, spoke up. "So she's really gone for good Alex?" Alex nods, "Yes Boo, she's really gone from the show and my life. I've ended our marriage." A cheer went up around the table with everyone congratulating Alex. Piper smiled at Alex who smiled back at her. A short brunette woman with bright red lips, spoke up. "Welcome to the show, Piper! I'm Lorna Morello. I'm the makeup artist." Nicky popped up, "She does a fine job too, she can make me up anyday!" Lorna scowls at Nicky. "How many times to I have to tell you Nicky, I'm married!" Nicky winked at her. "Not enough!" Piper smiled at Lorna, "It's nice to meet you Lorna." The woman Alex acknowleged as Boo, spoke up next. "I'm Carrie, aka, Big Boo. I play the butch lesbian Lea." She gestures to the Asian girl sitting next to her. "This here is Brook Soso. She plays my onscreen wife Kimiko. Although I must say, Piper, you're much prettier than Sylvie. I wouldn't mind trading this one in for you!" Piper looks shocked at Big Boo's brazen attitude while Brook looks at Boo. "Fuck you too Boo!" Big Boo starts laughing and throws her arm around Brook. "I'm just teasing you son, you know I love ya kid!"

A wiry black girl with short hair on the other side of Brook reaches up and slaps Boo's arm away. "Damn Boo, go get your own girl. This one's mine!" Boo chuckles at her. "Chill Poussey! I'm just messing around!" Piper looks at the two of them continuing to bicker. The girl next to Poussey rolls her eyes and says "Man would you two shut the hell up! This shit's getting old!" She looks at Piper and smiles. "Hey I'm Tasha, but you can call me Taystee. I'm one of the script supervisors. Poussey here, is my fellow script supervisor and partner in crime. Her manners are usually better than this, she's just being protective of her girl here!" Poussey stopped arguing with Boo and acknowledged Piper. "Welcome to the family here Piper!" and then she went right on back to arguing with Boo. The girl on the other side of Big Boo smiled at Piper revealing rotten teeth. I'm Tiffany, I play the religious hillbilly nutcase, Taryn, aka, Pennsatucky, who drives the other characters crazy. I don't actually look like this. I've already been to make up, because it takes awhile to get these ugly teeth put in. Nice to meet you Piper!" Piper smiles at her, "Likewise Tiffany!"

A watery eyed older woman with a kind face, spoke up next. "I'm Yoga Jones, the yoga instructor who helps relax the actors between takes. Sitting next to me is Janae Watson the fitness instructor. We have a gym over in the back, so if running or more strenuous exercise is what you're looking for. She's the one you can go to." Piper smiles at them both, and Janae replies, "Nice to meet you Piper!" She jumps up, "Well I'm going for my run, before the day starts!" "Nice meeting you Janae!" Janae smiles, waves at everyone, and runs off. The tall black woman, sitting next to Janae's empty spot, smiles at Piper. "I'm Sophia Burset, the hair stylist. I'll be doing your hair, and I must say, you have a beautiful head of hair!" Piper blushes, "Thank you Sophia!" Nicky spoke up. "You of course met Red and Miss Claudette", gesturing to the ladies who had been sitting silently this whole time. Red's gaze towards Piper had softened somewhat, but Miss Claudette continued to glare at Piper, who pretended not to notice. Piper, who had been scarfing down her breakfast this whole time, pushed her empty tray away. "Thank you ladies, that was delicious!" She looked around to find everyone staring at her. "What?! It was!" Suddenly everyone at the table cracked up. Piper felt a hand in hers and looked up to find Alex smiling reassuringly. "I think you're going to fit in just fine!" whispered Alex.

Before Piper could reply, Caputo and Fig appeared. "Alright ladies, breakfast is over, we need to get started. We have a long day ahead of us!" Caputo said clapping his hands. "Well gee, good morning to you too Joe! We're fine, how about you!" Boo said sarcastically causing the table to crack up again. Caputo smiled, "Sorry, good morning ladies. I'm sure we've all met Piper Chapman, our soon to be new costar who's visiting today. Make sure she feels welcome! Good to see you Piper." Piper smiled at him. "Thank you Joe. I'm happy to be here." Fig steps forward. "Welcome to the set Piper. Now you all had new scripts delivered this weekend because of the change that took place. We need to go ahead and go inside the gym for a read through." Just as everyone starts to get up, Caputo's phone begins to ring. "Excuse me ladies" he said , stepping away from the table to answer the phone.

Boo looks around at everyone, "Should we teepee Chapman's car now or later?!" Piper looks around horrified at the idea of them messing with her car. 'Larry would have a field day of whining over that one.' Boo looked at Piper and then cracked up laughing. "I'm just joking with you Piper. Welcome to the family." Piper smiled with relief. Even though she knew it was just a harmless prank, she knew Larry would whine over it, even though she was the one who bought the damn car. "Man, shut up Boo!" Poussey shouted. Boo turned to her. "You're just jealous that I get to stick it to your girl onscreen!" Just like that, off they went, bickering again.

Just then Caputo walked up. "Quiet you two. I just got a call from Fischer and I just wanted to warn you that Sylvie's here to collect her stuff from her trailer. Let's just try to keep to ourselves, and try not to start anything with her. She should have been here hours ago."he said looking at Alex. Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Hey don't look at me. I haven't seen her, since I threw her out!" Just then, the gate opened up and here came Sylvie, looking pissed off, followed by a burly female officer and a tall creepy looking guard with a moustache. Sylvie glared at everyone, and stopped in front of Alex. "We need to talk Alex!" Alex glared back, "No we don't Sylvie. Our marriage is over and so are you!" Sylvie looked hurt. "Baby please I'm sorry, can't we just talk?! "No Sylvie, what you did was the final straw. I warned you this would happen if you ever cheated on me. Just get your stuff and go!" Sylvie looked like she was going to say more, but the guard with the mustache grabbed her arm. "Let's go, you heard the lady!" Sylvie tried to pull away but he was too strong. "Let go of me, Pornstache!" He only gripped her harder. "You know I hate that name bitch, now move it!"

With that they set off towards Sylvie's former trailer. Once she was out of sight, everyone let out the breath, that they didn't realize they were holding. Alex turned to everyone, "Sorry about this guys!" "Don't sweat it Vause, we got your back," Nicky says patting Alex on the back. Alex felt another hand on her back and realized it was Piper's. She smiled at Piper who rubbed her back reassuringly. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into kid? Last chance to bail!" Piper smiled back with her hand still on Alex's back. "No way, I've wanted this for a long time! No crazy ex is going to stop me!" Realizing that her words had a double meaning, Piper was about to backtrack, when they heard a scream coming from the trailer. "ALEXANDRA VAUSE!"

Sylvia came storming out of the trailer, with Pornstache and the female guard, whose name tag read Bell, hot on her heels. Sylvia stopped in front of Alex, clutching the same manila envelope Alex originally had with her days ago. "AN ANNULMENT?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Alex looked at her calmly. "No Sylvie I'm not. It's already been finalized. I'm keeping the apartment, which was mine to begin with, but I'm giving you money for your own place. You have 48 hours to clear your stuff out. I'm staying with Nicky until then." Sylvie looks enraged, "WHERE THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO GO?!" "I could care less where the hell you go Sylvie, it's not my problem anymore. You should have thought of that before you started causing trouble and then cheating on me. Like I said, you have 48 hours Sylvie!" Sylvie then looked at Piper who,unknowingly, still had her hand on Alex's back. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?! WHY IS YOUR HAND ON MY WIFE?! "EX-WIFE SYLVIE! Now get your stuff and get the hell out of here!" Alex yelled, losing her patience with her ex.

Sylvie didn't move away, instead she moved closer to Piper. "I SAID, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Piper had had enough at this point. "The actress who's replacing you BITCH!" Piper yelled in Sylvie's face. Sylvie's face went bright red with rage and she raises her hand to slap Piper. Her hand never makes it because Porntache catches it at the same time, Alex shoves Piper out of the way. "Mendez, Bell, get her out of here now!" Before they pull her away, Sylvie takes one last look at Piper and Alex. "You'd better watch your back you blond bitch." She looks at Alex. "This isn't over, you haven't heard the last of me!" Alex glares at Sylvie,"Just leave now!" With that the two guards pull her away. As they're walking away, Alex yells. "IF YOU BREAK ANYTHING IN THE HOUSE THAT'S NOT YOURS, I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE!" Sylvie looks over her shoulder, "LIKE HELL YOU WILL, THAT WAS MY APARTMENT TOO!" "NO IT'S NOT, YOUR NAME WAS NEVER ON THE LEASE, AND IF YOU'RE NOT GONE BY THE TIME YOUR 48 HOURS IS UP, IT'LL BE UPGRADED TO TRESPASSING! SO LONG BITCH!

Sylvie has to then be carried away, kicking and screaming. Piper turns to find them all staring at her, "WHAT?! she exclaims, still seething. Red steps up to her, "You impress me Blondie! Welcome to the family daughter!" Piper smiles and throws her arms around Red. "Thank you!" Red smiles and then abruptly pulls back and tries to look stern again. Come Miss Claudette, time to start lunch." Piper looks at Miss Claudette who actually smiles at her albeit too briefly and she goes to follow Red. Piper is then pulled into a hug by Alex who then pulls back and kisses her cheek. "Like Red said, that was impressive kid! I think I'll keep you around." Piper blushes, still feeling the spot where Alex kissed her. "It was nothing Alex, but thank you for saying that." Their moment was broken by Fig "Read through, ladies. Let's go!"

They all start walking towards the gym, when Piper's phone chimes with a text. It's from Larry. 'I'm home now, where are you?!' At first Piper was going to ignore it, but knowing he will not go away, decides to respond. 'I'm at the Litchfield Place set, meeting the cast, learning the ropes, etc.' Not even a minute later, Larry responds. 'Well come home, we need to talk.' Piper has a pretty good idea, that it'll be a talk about her attitude, which will lead to another fight. 'I'll get home, when I get home.' Without waiting for a response, Piper shuts her phone off dreading going home later. 'It's definitely time to kick Larry to the curb. "Everything ok Pipes?" Alex asks. "Yeah I'm just thinking it's about time to make a life change myself." Alex smiles and takes Piper's hand and they walk to the gym together.

End of Chapter


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